1) In the last 3 years with the huge success of lord of the rings and the growing interest in tolkhein's oriented music, do you feel that it "opened a door" for summoning to new fans? or maybe put you under a tag?

-) > No not really. First of all before the realization of the Tolkien movie lord of the rings was not really an underground topic but the most selling book since the 60ties. And we really think all those who were interested in Tolkiens work and like metal music already at least know us. to get new fans only depends on playing live i think that means if we would have given live concerts since the beginning of our band career we maybe would have doubled our sales but as we don't we always will be limited to a basic audience. or said in another way Summoning will always be connected to an underground scene.

2) and why is that? (don't play live)

-) > We simply think that the music of Summoning is not meant to be played live. We make music that is best listened at home and not whilst standing in front of a stage. We think that if the fans would see some sweating mortal human beings with instruments in their hands alls illusions of the fantasy band would fade away. Apart from that we never ever had the interested to practice a song we once created again. As soon as a song is completed we never touch it again, and prefer to concentrate on creating new songs instead of practicing the old ones.

3) there is something in that mind but on the other hand i always felt that your music is VERY theatralic and visual and it's something that i for example am very curious to see a living interpretation of, i think that summoning could have been huge in that case as the aspect can still be strong if done correctly

-) Again I must say that concerts always put the musician in the center of the music and our image is extremely the opposite. Second even if we wanted to do live concerts tomorrow we simply have no practice in doing so; that means the expectati9on of the fans would be to big and we would only disappoint them.

4) > Something which brings me to the next question is your use of bombastic midi drums instead of a drummer and all your recording process, you said that once u do a song it's never touched again, how is the process of composing in summoning and how often you write or record? only when there is an album planned or you sketch a lot as well?

-) About the drums. They are very important for us, they are surely not substitute for a "real" drummer for us, they are rather a creative enrichment for us. Using a keyboard for the drums forces you to use the rhythms in a different way. It makes no sense for example to play very fast double bass drums, (because this would impress none, because everybody knows that a keyboard could play the fastest drums in the world). In contrary we can add sounds like kettle drums or march drums instead which suits much better to our music than any other drum style, > When we make music everything is created in succession. That means first Silenius plays his basic version of a new song, then I add the drums, latter the additional horn tunes and a teh end the guitars and vocals.

5) Regarding your album covers, all of them are a kind of dynasty of ideas, how you see the process from the debut almost a decade ago

-) Finding the right cover the perfect layout and the right photos from us is a very difficult job and costs meanwhile as much time as to make the music. That is because the visual aspect is as important as the music. The music can be great of a band but if the cover is shit then none will be interested in the CD. So I spend hours and hours in bookshops to search for the right motive.

6) do you see your music & lyrics are something personal? or more as a symbol of fantasy? (> i ask because listening to albums such as dol guldur (without see the lyrics) i got such a strong sad emotions......)

-) Of course the music is something total personal for us but coming to the lyrics they are the complete opposite. We don't see ourselves as poets; so we always make clear that 90% of the lyrics are directly taken from Tolkien poems just with some personal lyrical adding in former times also other people wrote lyrics for us like Pazuzu or PK of Abigor.

7) what the name summoning represents for you?

-) Behind the name Summoning there is no deeper meaning or dogma; as a young band it is simply necessary to have a band name and a logo that simply fits to your music. As we started as a black metal band we liked this name (as far as I remember it was inspired from Dark Throne remember this diabolical summoning writing when it comes to the singing of the singer.

8) ok, and i guess that now days you don't see yourself as a bm band anymore, i guess your interpretations of music are more "open"?

-) You are just partly right. Of course the basics of summoning some steps ahead from pure black metal now days. But we never denied our roots. We still have this kind of black metal feeling within the vocals the melodic lines and the atmosphere but meanwhile Summoning has found its identity and its own style by making musical translations of Tolkiens middle earth. I think that is natural; most of the black metal bands of the second an third wave have emancipated from their roots and have found their own little corner

9) in Israel you sold a nice amount of albums of your latest full length to people who are not even metalheads..., people whom became interested because of tolkehins stuff and because we also promoted there to everyone who likes gloomy dark atmospheric music, i think one of the things that marked summoning as ultra unique is that you don't sound like any other band around, what influenced you now days?

-) In the last years be both focused on total different musical directions. I mainly listen to dark electronic music like "Leatherstrip" "Suicide Command" or "Infact". I simply like all kinds of dark music. We think that listening to other musical directions is a great creative improvement for Summoning, I think it is a positive aspect of Summoning style that none of us listened to similar music since years by now (black metal or metal in general) so we have the advantage not to come in any temptation to copy other similar bands. We get our inspirations from total different music which has nothing in common with Summoning

10) > yeah, i had the feeling that you spend more time with laibach and wumpscut then on deicide...:))

-) I definitely rather listen to Wumpscut than to Deicide:-) , > I have no problems if a band releases a lot of outputs Either I like it or not; with wumpscut I have the problem that the sound a little bit to technoid for me, but there also have a few really great songs, in program.

11) yes, i agree, the boundaries between those genes and metal became very hard to identify sometimes, a lot of band from the metal field try to jump on it, what i really respect in summoning is that you stayed true to your ideas, there is a progression in the sound of course, and the songs are better but it's the same mind behind the art

-) What is important for Summoning is not to make a big progress in the music. Terms like progression and advancement are the enemy of our music. We don't like bands like who have totally new influences and put them into their music so that a new release has nothi8ng in common with old releases; but don't get me wrong of course I know that over all the years the musical preference of a person usually change a lot but if you want to make something different then a band shall either start to make this music under a new name as a kind of side -project or shall cut of the band in which his musical influences would not fit.

12) which other projects you involved in now days? and are you satisfied with napalm? in my opinion they are the perfect label for your band

-) I am involved in "Ice Ages" and also in "Die Vebannten Kinder Evas". Right now I am working for the finish of the next "Die Verbannten Kinder evs". all songs are already composed but not recorded yet. This time I will record the CD with a new female singer who lives in Turkey. We will make the whole recording and rehearsals only via internet. The new CD will be called "Dusk And Void Becam Alive" and will be more polyphonic and solemn as the previous one, Beside Summoning I am also involved into other bands namely "Kreuzweg Ost" (an industrial Project) and "Amestigon" ( an old fashioned black metal band) . We also think that napalm is the perfect label for us but because not because of the music taste or the other bands on this label would fit to us but because we know the guys of this label since a very long time and so there is a trust and friend ship between us which makes a lot of thinks easier than being on another label.

13) in your opinion, the best summoning album to you?

-) For me always the newest album is the best one for me because those albums are naturally most close to my current taste. But apart form the newst one "Minas Morgul" is the best Album for us. also I of course know that most of the fans of course see Dol Guldur or Minas Morgul as the best but it is natural that people who like a band from the beginning always like the early albums more than the latest ones. That is a kind of unwritten law for example most of our old fans really hated "Strongohold" when it was released: It has no feeling; the sound is not the same as Dol Guldur bla bla bla .. but three years later voila!!! more and more people think that stronghold is great ant the best bla bla bal ... :-)

14) well... let me be unique then and say that i know you since the early start and i think stronghold is your best album bla bla:)))

-) Well very unusual.

15) a different question: what do you think about blind guardian and about Christopher lee sing with rhapsody?

-) First I listen to Blind Guardian many years ago. I bought the first tree LPs. They are a of course a really great band for the music they do, but for my common taste I lost my interests for this band many years ago. About Christopher Lee who will sing with rhapsody; i never have heard anything I just know the CD of Christopher Lee speaking and singing poems of Tolkien with a kind of middle ages inspired ensemble, but honestly I don't like this CD. But maybe you can tell us more about this collaboration with Rhapsody.

16) I'd like to ask if you want to add something and of course I'll mail you copies of the catalogue when it's coming out, it is really important for me to help you out here as I really like your music and ideas so i hope fans and sales will grow

-) Thanks a lot for this interview we of course know that it is not easy in your country to support metal music and so of course it is an honor for us having made this interview. We hope that our fans in your country give us all support and we hope that with our music we can give support to your people to flee from everyday life which is maybe more necessary in your country with all the political problems you have. Escapism is the perfect drug from everyday live…..